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Best Middle Schools in Staples, MN

At a glance

School

284

Students

Top rankedStaples-Motley Middle School254^th of 519 Minnesota middle schools

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Biggest riser

Staples-Motley Middle School up 37 spots statewide this year

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Summary:

The city of Staples, Minnesota is home to a single middle school, Motley-Staples Middle School, which serves students in grades 6-8. The school's performance on standardized assessments in Math, Reading, and Science has consistently fallen below the state average across multiple grade levels and school years.

Motley-Staples Middle School's statewide ranking has fluctuated over the past few years, ranging from 216 out of 529 Minnesota middle schools in 2022-2023 to 291 out of 545 in 2023-2024. The school's SchoolDigger rating has also varied, with 3 stars out of 5 in 2022-2023 and 2023-2024, and 3 stars out of 5 in 2024-2025. The Staples-Motley School District, which Motley-Staples Middle School is a part of, is ranked 232 out of 446 districts in Minnesota and is rated 2 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger.

The data also reveals that Motley-Staples Middle School has a relatively high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, at 52.58% in 2023-2024, and a student-teacher ratio of 14.9 to 1 in the same year. These factors may contribute to the school's academic challenges and suggest the need for targeted interventions and support to improve student outcomes.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MCA-III Math (2025)					MCA-III Reading (2025)					Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCA-III Math 5th Grade	MCA-III Math 6th Grade	MCA-III Math 7th Grade	MCA-III Math 8th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	MCA-III Reading 5th Grade	MCA-III Reading 6th Grade	MCA-III Reading 7th Grade	MCA-III Reading 8th Grade	MCA-III Reading All Grades	Total
Staples-Motley Middle School	Public	5-8	401 Centennial Dr	Staples	56479	Todd County	Staples-Motley School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 894-5400	284	19	14.6	51.8%	256 (90.1%)	1 (0.4%)	6 (2.1%)	3 (1.1%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.6%)	50.3	254^th of 519 public middle schools	51.1%		46.9	291^st of 545 public middle schools	46.6%	37	32.1	29.2	34.8	55.4	38.3	50.0	36.9	38.0	43.2	41.5	$11,957

Cities Near Staples

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Verndale	11 mi	2	372^nd
Bertha	14.19 mi	3	314^th
Pillager	14.79 mi	6	198^th
Wadena	16.71 mi	9	373^rd
Browerville	18.9 mi	3	286^th

See the top MN Minnesota cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Minnesota Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.